Dyke unleashes ‘avenging fury’ on Blair Hutton, Campbell and the BBC governors

But it is Mr Dyke’s account of his relationship with Mr Blair that will attract most attention. A former Labour donor who even financially supported Mr Blair’s leadership bid, Mr Dyke reveals the Prime Minister sought to change BBC coverage on Iraq even before Gilligan’s fateful broadcast.

He reveals that the Prime Minister sent personal letters to both himself and Gavyn Davies, the former BBC chairman, complaining about the corporation’s coverage.

…

Mr Dyke claims that Mr Blair was forced into writing the letter by Mr Campbell and subsequently regretted it.

It was, however, his own robust reply to Mr Blair rejecting outright his complaint that led to a state of open hostilities between Downing Street and the BBC, he admits.

In accepting Greg Dyke’s resignation in January, the BBC’s board of governors demonstrated a wholly supine response to the Hutton Inquiry which was not only shocking but also led to a significant popular outcry.

Inside Story certainly sounds like an entertaining read and, if his claims that the Government tried to directly influence the BBC’s coverage of the Iraq war are substantiated, it raises a number of serious questions about the relationship between the government and the media.

• Buy this cool thing: Amazon

Feed on comments to this Post